MAMAMOO (마마무) - BLUE;S (8th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]
By amycampbell00 - December 22, 2018
During the autumn, there normally isn't much that comes out that I'm interested in. Sure, there might be a big rush of comebacks, but often it involves groups that I don't really care about or listen to all that much. But THIS year, everyone and their mother decided to come back and kill me all at once. Like, jeez. We had soooo many comebacks this November - with one of them being MAMAMOO. Since they've got this whole "four seasons, four concepts" thing going on this year, they've now released the 3rd part of that series - the autumn album, BLUE;S.
Normally, when I'm listening to an album that comes out in the fall, I expect a lot of ballads and slow/mid-tempo songs. They may suit this time of year really nicely, but they're not really my thing. But I did have hopes going into this comeback that MAMAMOO would bring something a bit different to the table, and shove that standard aside in favour of doing their own thing.
But before we get into the actual review, there's something I wanted to mention. If you're a MOOMOO, you might already know this. If you're not, let me explain something real quick.
In MAMAMOO, each of the girls has their own colour (similarly to Red Velvet) - Moonbyul is red, Hwasa is yellow, Wheein is white, and Solar is blue. This was shown off with the girls' dresses in the MV for "Paint Me" at the beginning of 2018. And now, it turns out every album not only corresponds to a season, but a member as well! "Yellow Flower" was Hwasa's album, "Red Moon" was Moonbyul's, and now "BLUE;S" is Solar's. (That just leaves "White Wind" for Wheein, right? 😉)
This often means the girls will get a solo track on the album as well; we've already got Hwasa's "Be Calm", Moonbyul's "Selfish" with Seulgi, and now Solar's solo track, which we'll get to later.
Just... keep all of that in mind. It'll be relevant to this review, I promise. 😊
With that very long preamble out of the way, we're left with a question to answer - did MAMAMOO manage to do something new and interesting with BLUE;S, or did they just release an album I'll forget about once autumn's over? Let's see!
1 - FROM AUTUMN TO WINTER (가을에서 겨울로) [INTRO]
But other than that, it's pretty standard fare for an intro. It's very minimalistic and subdued, but that sets the album's tone really well if you ask me. And yet, that just gives the girls' vocals a chance to shine even more.
Speaking of which... remember how I mentioned that this is Solar's album? Since blue is her colour and all that? Yeah. That shows in her vocal performance. She shines here - and that'll be a recurring theme in this review, at least for me. Her vocals in this intro are so beautiful and soft, yet they're still really enjoyable to listen to. That's not to say the other girls do a bad job - it's MAMAMOO, they're all incredibly talented, after all - but I just feel like Solar really stands out here.
As for the lyrics, I do feel like they're a bit of a prequel to "Wind Flower". I feel like this is right after the breakup, where she's starting to realise she misses her partner, and thinks about them admist all the autumn weather. It's very poetic actually, it's lovely.
Ooh, the wind blows, I see that winter has come
Ooh, the wind blows, will my heart change?
2 - NO MORE DRAMA
However, upon listening to this for the first time, there were a few things that stuck out to me - namingly, the choruses and the ending. To me, the choruses feel like they're lacking a little extra something; I feel like they could use an extra emphasis on the drum line or something, just to pack a little more punch. There's also the matter of the ending - it's incredibly abortive, and ends the song way too early. It makes it feel sort of... unfinished. Especially when the instrumental for the verses is literally just a guitar and some extra backing vocals. Would one last chorus with some adlibs really have hurt here?
But thankfully, a lot of these decisions make more sense when you look at the lyrics. It shines a bunch of light on why this song is the way it is! "No More Drama" is a break up song with a bit more charm than you'd expect; the lyrics are kinda bleak yet very confident at the same time. The song ends as quickly as the relationship does, and the choruses lack punch because the relationship now feels like a slog for both parties. It's almost like it's an old, well-used toy that's fallen into disrepair; there's nothing worth saving anymore.
No more drama, I gave you enough chances
Time is over
I can't do it anymore
3 - WIND FLOWER [TITLE]
The girls themselves also nail it here, their performances are all stellar - but yet again, Solar in particular knocks it out of the park for me. This really is HER album, and she's stood out to me here more than she ever has. I don't know if it's the concept or what, but this is her era and I'm fucking living for it.
I feel the need to mention the video though, cause it's amazing. Fuck being sad and miserable after a breakup - MAMAMOO are gonna get drunk, eat a bunch of good food and forget all about it! This video is just... pure MAMAMOO. If you've ever wanted to know what the girls' personalities are like, but you don't want to spend ages scrolling through fandom videos on YouTube, this video captures it perfectly! It looks like they had a shitton of fun filming it, and that really comes across from start to finish. Even though it's a long enough music video - 5 minutes long, to be precise - it really doesn't feel dragged out or boring. It's just good, old-fashioned
The lyrics are actually quite melancholy, but in a very... hopeful way? Yeah, going through a breakup is hard, but it's not going to be hard forever. The initial pain and sadness that comes with a breakup is definitely tough to deal with, but what we need to remember is that it'll gradually fade, and you'll be able to cope with things better in time. Recovery doesn't happen overnight; it's a process. Like I said, very reflective yet hopeful and encouraging at the same time. They're perfect for the autumn weather without being too depressing - I like it!
Are we the only ones saying goodbye?
Are we the only ones hurting?
But like flower petals that will bloom again
[It'll] get better day by day, [it'll] get better day by day
I actually really like it! A lot of people have pointed out already that it's the first time in a while MAMAMOO have had backup dancers. The great thing is, the girls seem to be revelling in it - that goes for the dancers too! When the girls aren't being absolute lovable dorks, the choreography is really nice; there's some interesting formations in there that I enjoyed a lot. It's by no means insanely amazing or anything, but it matches the song well!
It's also a great example of how to use a prop; the table doesn't feel completely out of place, even though it's only really used in the first verse and bridge. It feels natural, and central to that part of the choreography. (Take notes, Sunmi...)
There's also the fact that I want to be that table so Hwasa can step on me like the queen she is.
There's also the fact that I want to be that table so Hwasa can step on me like the queen she is.
So yeah, "Wind Flower"'s the best song in this album for me. It's a great change of pace. Can this be the standard for autumn songs from now on? Because I'd be perfectly okay with that...
4 - HELLO [SOLAR SOLO]
As soon as I started listening to this album and realised just how well Solar is doing this comeback, I became very excited to hear "Hello". As I've already mentioned, every member is getting a solo song on each album - now it's Solar's turn. And not gonna lie, I do feel like "Hello" restricts her a bit because it's so subdued, but that doesn't mean that Solar doesn't do a fantastic job. Because she definitely does!
"Hello" almost reminds me of Taeyeon's "Fine", but a little bit stronger and more pronounced. It's got a very calm, relaxing vibe to it, which I guess is to be expected at this point. But Solar makes it her own anyway - her vocals are by far the best part of this song. The production is pretty good too, actually; I think the guitars compliment her voice really well. But Solar's vocals are just the icing on the cake here; she knows exactly when to be restrained and when to be powerful, and it's stunning. She lets the momentum build up really damn well in the run-up to the choruses - you know she's going to let rip, but you just don't know when! It also helps that I've always loved hearing this brighter tone in her voice.
But similarly to how "No More Drama" was for me initially, this song does lack a good bit of punch in the last chorus. (But hey, at least there IS a last chorus.) It's just... missing a little extra power, and it feels like it doesn't really develop or go anywhere. Solar's got the ability to deliver, and she does that consistently; the instrumental, however, kinda lets her down. A little bit of change in the melody or rhythm wouldn't have hurt; it'd put a bit more emphasis on the ending and really help the song come full circle.
Just like a lot of the songs on this album, the lyrics here are about a breakup. And yet, they still manage to have a unique tone to them! Solar's acknowledging that the relationship happened, and she's happy that it did; but now, she's coming to the realisation that both she and her partner need to move on. They had some good times together, but what they had is gone now; they both have to move on with their lives.
That last goodbye
The fragmented memories
Oh, I don't want to return back [to it]
It may not be my favourite solo from a MAMAMOO member - that'd probably be Wheein's "Vibrato" - but "Hello" is still a damn good effort none the less. If Solar continues to shine like this in future comebacks, I'll have to start giving her a hell of a lot more credit!
5 - BETTER THAN I THOUGHT (생각보단 괜찮아)
That's what "Better Than I Thought" is for me. It's chill, refined and SUPER pleasing to listen to. It's got this beautiful easy-breezy vibe about it that would possibly fit better in a spring album rather than an autumn one! Maybe it's because it reminds me so much of "Spring Fever" from Yellow Flower - which, for the record, is one of my favourite songs from that album.
That's not to say it feels out of place though - it continues the trend of unique breakup songs on this album. While I'll admit the theming is starting to get a bit repetitive for my tastes at this point, this is probably my favourite breakup song on this album so far in terms of the lyrics. It takes the hopefulness of Solar's "Hello" and the confidence of "No More Drama" and combines them into one laid-back song. It's very... sweet, and sentimental. They're doing fine after their breakup when they thought they'd be heartbroken, and they hope their ex is doing just fine as well.
I thought I would be hurting every day
But I'm better than I thought - it's quite ironic, isn't it?
[My] moments with you were full of happiness
The girls' voices just serve to compliment this song's instrumental, which has a greater sense of progression than anything on this album so far, if you ask me. (Well, maybe with the exception of "Wind Flower".) Even the chipmunk vocals aren't annoying or distracting! Everything just comes together and blends beautifully. It's certainly nothing new, but it's definitely enjoyable nonetheless.
6 - MORNING
...no, I'm dead serious. They sound so similar, it's crazy.
Similarities to past tracks aside, "Morning" is probably the girls' best vocal performance on the album. Solar's shining vocally once again, Wheein sounds downright GORGEOUS when she slips into her falsetto, Hwasa's got that emotional twang to her voice that I love in songs like this, and Moonbyul delivers an off-kilter rap that suits her perfectly. It's probably the most emotional song on this album too! That comes through in both the girls' delivery and the melody itself, actually - it's got these occasional lilts to it that strike me as unexpected, yet beautiful all at the same time.
When I heard this initially, I thought it might've been a nice love song, but nope. It's another breakup song. One look at the lyrics will tell you that much:
If we didn't meet, if we didn't like each other
A relationship in which we don't know each other
The situation would've been better
I don't know what it is about these lyrics, but... again, they carry a huge sense of emotion. Maybe it's the strings in the instrumental making me all sappy, I don't know. I just feel like this song really punches you in the gut with how sad it is. It's effective, that's for sure.
However, let me return to the comparison of "Morning" and "Sting" for a second. I mean, "Sting" is by no means a bad song - "Morning" certainly isn't either! But... it kinda cements a major weakness of this album for me - repetition. A lot of the songs here are breakup songs, and they're all songs that we've heard another artist do before. Hell, we might've even heard MAMAMOO do them before!
I feel like it kinda holds the album back as a whole, and while I do like the songs in it, it started to... bore me towards the end, for lack of a better word? That's a strong way to put it, but it's the only way I can think to describe it. It's a very safe release for MAMAMOO, considering how experimental and fun they can often be. They are, of course, allowed to have safe albums and releases - any artist is. Not every album can blow us all away!
I did enjoy BLUE;S overall, just... not as much as MAMAMOO's previous releases. I won't lie when I say I'm curious to see what the final part of this project will hold, though - I'm excited to see how it ends!
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ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:
COVER IMAGE CREDITS:
MAMAMOO PNGs - MAMAMOO PNG PACK #3 by bbsone on DeviantArt
